Masters triumph for Van Gerwen

Monday, 29 January 2018 12:07:35 Europe/London

Gary Anderson and James Wade both fell short against the victor as Michael van Gerwen won The Masters for a fourth straight year.

The Unicorn pair were beaten in the semi-final and quarter-final by Van Gerwen, who then went on to edge out Raymond van Barneveld 11-9 in a cracking final in Milton Keynes.

The World No.1 came from 6-8 down to win the title.

Anderson went down 11-5 in the semi-finals but it was closer than the scoreline suggests with the Unicorn man missing key doubles at crucial times.

He missed a chance to break early on but levelled at two apiece with a 124 finish. But the Scot drew level at four legs all before he was punished for missed opportunities and Van Gerwen won seven of the next eight legs.

Anderson will be disappointed but the signs are good for Gary. He averaged 95 and hit five 180s in the semi-final but hit only five doubles from 16 attempts. That was the telling stat.

James Wade came up against an irresistible Van Gerwen in the quarter-finals. The Unicorn man didn’t get a look in as the World No.1 raced into an 8-0 lead averaging 119! At that stage Wade hadn’t had a dart at a double.

But he battled bravely, winning back-to-back legs including a 121 finish on the bull. But it only delayed the inevitable and Van Gerwen won with an end average of 111 and 10/13 on the doubles. The Unicorn ace though can take heart and hopefully 2018 is going to be a successful year for him.